Sunday, November 11, 2007

Is it Chinese New Year?

That's what it was the last time I heard fireworks on a day I normally don't associate with loud booms and frizzly lights. Only, at least from my block, the lights can't be seen. I hope that they're exploding underneath the clouds/fog somewhere.

I'm using this blog tonight, as I did just about everything else-- Facebook profile updating, MP3 directory re-organizing, espresso machine cleaning, the list goes on-- as an escape from homework. I don't have any amazing new music to share. Nothing too crazy happened to me this weekend. I can't even think of much to say. That's how bad it is. I want to tell you of an epiphany I had or great moral I learned or that I thought of the greatest movie or television idea, but none of those are true. It was, indeed, a pretty boring weekend for me, Chinese New Year or not.

Alright, so since I don't have anything new to give you, I'll give you something old. In the spirit of nearing the end of this [Western World] year, and the possibility of the end of the Chinese Year [although I really don't think it was, and I'm too lazy right now to multi-task and go look, so I should really just let go].... and the desire to sort out some of my favorites of the year, I'm giving some tunes that hopefully you have not yet completely forgotten about. They'd most likely make my Top 100 of 2007 list, if I ever made one.

El-P [feat Chan Marshall] - "Poisenville Kids No Wins", from I'll Sleep When You're Dead*Wanna know what I like best about this song? The end. The instrumental at the end is like an entirely different track, and I love it. I also love Cat Power's chiming in during the chorus and her vocal stabs here and there elsewhere. I try and I try but just can't seem to like much more of El-P's stuff, which apparently puts me on the edge of the hip hop community, because people seem to really like him. Does it say anything that the two tracks I really love off I'll Sleep have guest appearances? By "rock"-ers, no less.*InSound says this was a 2006 release; they're so wrong.

Cloud Cult - "Chain Reaction", from Meaning of 8Wanna know what I like most about this album? The beginning. If you claim to know me, or have read some of my RDD/shshdh ramblings, then you know I like album intros-- rather, I appreciate really good ones. That's one thing that draws me into Cloud Cult-- each album has a brilliant intro, whether it's an instrumental track devoted to doing the opening work or [as in the case of "Chain Reaction"] it's an elongated instro of the first track. Every time I hear this song it puts me back into the Orpheum Stage Door's little space where I saw them play it [as an encore?] back in the spring. The best moment: the entirety of the drumless strumming and vocals of raw emotion that starts at the 1:30 mark. Shivers, people.

The Tough Alliance - "Something Special", from New ChanceI think I sent this out to RDD/shshdh'rs when I had first heard it in the summer. I played it a couple dozen times in the first few days I heard it. All of the stuff I've heard by them is pretty solid. Swedish boys doin' good pop with a shadow of chill and a sprinkle of electronic coating the whole package.